Palaeontology of the Middle Turonian Limestones of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben
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Palaeontology of the Middle Turonian limestones of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben... Geologos 18, 2 (2012): 83–109 doi: 10.2478/v10118-012-0007-z Palaeontology of the Middle Turonian limestones of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben (Sudetes, SW Poland): biostratigraphical and palaeogeographical implications Alina Chrząstek Institute of the Geological Sciences, Wrocław University, Maksa Borna 9, PL 50-204 Wrocław, Poland; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract The ammonites Lewesiceras peramplum Mantell and ?Lewesiceras sp. are reported from the Upper Cretaceous in the Nysa Kłodzka Graben; they date from the Middle Turonian and ?Coniacian, respectively. The Middle Turonian lime- stones of the Stara Bystrzyca quarry contain an abundant assemblage of inoceramids (Inoceramus cuvieri Sowerby and I. lamarcki Parkinson) and other bivalves, including oysters, as well as brachiopods and trace fossils. Micropalaeonto- logical data show the presence of foraminifers and siliceous sponge spiculae, bryozoans, ostracods and fragments of bivalves and gastropods. The Middle Turonian calcareous deposits belongs to the upper part of the Inoceramus lamarcki Zone (late Middle Turonian) and were deposited on a shallow, subtidal offshore shelf. They overlie the Middle Turo- nian Bystrzyca and Długopole Sandstones, which represent foreshore-shoreface delta deposits. The fossil assemblage suggests a moderate- to low-energy, normal-salinity environment with occasionally an oxygen deficit. Keywords: Middle Turonian, Sudetes, Nysa Kłodzka Graben, ammonites, inoceramids, biostratigraphy 1. Introduction Stara Bystrzyca quarry. It is, with its diameter of approx. 45 cm, probably the biggest ammo- Representatives of the ammonite genus nite ever found in Nysa Kłodzka Graben and Lewesiceras are most typical of the Middle-Late probably also in the Sudety Mountains (Fig. Turonian and are known from the North and 6 A-E). The second specimen has been identi- Transitional European Province and from the fied as ?Lewesiceras sp. – and has a diameter 33 North Pacific Province; they are rare in the cm; it forms part of the collection of the Polish Tethys Province. Geological Institute – Polish Research Insti- Two specimens of this genus are now de- tute, Wrocław (Fig. 6 H-L). The specimen was scribed from the Middle Turonian and ?Co- found by Z. Radwańska, who investigated the niacian deposits in the Nysa Kłodzka Graben Nysa Kłodzka Graben in (the author means: (Figs 1–3). One of the specimens, identified as the fifties and sixties) of the 20th century (e.g., Lewesiceras peramplum Mantell has been found Radwańska, 1962, 1964) in the vicinity of Wil- for the first time in the Middle Turonian of the kanów (S. Cwojdziński, PGI-PRI Wrocław, 84 Alina Chrząstek pers. comm. 2011) and had not yet a taxonomi- peramplum Mantell and ?Lewesiceras sp.) repre-repre- cal assignment (Fig. 1). The ammonite was sent the biggest ammonites found so far in the probably encountered in the Coniacian. Nysa Kłodzka Graben. There is little information about large/me- In addition to the Lewesiceras peramplum dium ammonites (for the size categories of am- specimen, numerous moulds and shells of the monites, see: Stevens, 1988; Matsumoto et al., inoceramids Inoceramus cuvieri Sowerby and I. 1990; Tibuleac, 2008) from the Nysa Kłodzka lamarcki Parkinson were found in the Middle Graben. Only Wroński & Cwojdziński (1984) Turonian of the Stara Bystrzyca quarry (Fig. 6 reported some ammonites (Peroniceras tricari- M; Fig. 8 A-I). Fragments of Inoceramus cuvieri natum d’Orbigny), 40 cm in diameter, from the reach up to 20 cm, while I. lamarcki is up to 10 Upper Turonian. It is likely that the two am- cm and this may indicate that the dimensions monite specimens described here (Lewesiceras of complete inoceramid shells may have diam- eters of 0.3–0.4 m. One of the biggest pieces of inoceramid shell from this quarry measures 40 cm (J. Wojewoda, Wrocław University, pers. comm. 2011). The present contribution provides a de- tailed description of Lewesiceras peramplum and ?Lewesiceras sp., found by the author and by Z. Radwańska. The inoceramids Inoceramus cuvieri and I. lamarcki are also described, and other fossils are depicted in this first detailed documentation of the Stara Bystrzyca quarry. Until now, only minor references concerning the lithology and fauna were made, mainly in conference materials and explanations to geo- logical maps (Fistek & Gierwielaniec, 1964; Radwański, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1975; Wroński & Cwojdziński, 1984). The fauna, especially the inoceramids, am- monites and foraminifers, were used to estab- lish the age of the Stara Bystrzyca sandy and marly limestones, and to reconstruct the pa- laeogeography and palaeoenvironment. 2. Previous research on Polish Cretaceous ammonites Ammonites of the genus Lewesiceras are rare in the Upper Cretaceous of the Sudety Moun- tains. An ammonite assigned to Pachydiscus peramplum Mantell was found by Andert (1934) in the Middle Turonian of the North Sudetic Synclinorium and in the Intra-Sudetic Syn- clinorium. Pachucki (1959) mentioned Pachy- discus aff. peramplum Mantell from Emscherian sediments of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben, but Fig. 1. Tectonic sketch of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben (after without any information about size and col- Żelaźniewicz & Aleksandrowski, 2008). lector. Flegel (1904) reported Pachydiscus per- Palaeontology of the Middle Turonian limestones of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben... 85 Fig. 2. Geology of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben. A: Cenomanian-?Santonian section (slightly modified after Wojewoda, 1997, and Don & Gotowała, 2008);B: Chrono- stratigraphy with inoceramid and ammonite zones (after Kędzierski, 2008, and Wiese et al., 2004). amplum Mantell from the Upper Turonian of discus (P.) perfidus de Grossouvre, Pachydiscus the Stołowe Mountains (Karłów village). In the (P.) armenicus Atabekian and Akopian (Ma-Ma- Geological Museum in Wrocław, a specimen is chalski, 2012), Nowakites talavignesii d’Orbigny, present of the ammonite Pachydiscus peramplum Nowakites savini de Grossouvre, Nowakites pail- Mantell (diameter: 16 cm) from the German letteanus d’Orbigny, Nowakites aff. pailletteanus collection (no MGUWr. – 1800s; Fig. 6 F-G), d’Orbigny and Eupachydiscus isculensis Redten- with an inscription ’Carlsberg’ (Karłów). There bacher (Remin 2010). Jagt-Yazykova (2011; in is, however, no information about the collec- press) analysed the evolution of mid- and Late tor. This might be the specimen mentioned by Cretaceous ammonites (e.g. Pachydiscidae) Flegel (1904). from along the Russian Pacific coast. Recently, some researchers reported the oc- Large Lewesiceras peramplum (diameter 48 currence of the Pachydiscidae species Pachydis- cm) have been described from the Middle Tu- cus (Pachydiscus) neubergicus von �auer, Pachy- ronian of the Opole Trough (Tarkowski, 1991). 86 Alina Chrząstek Fig. 3. Geological setting of the Stara Bystrzyca quarry (after Fistek & Gierwielaniec, 1957). Biostratigra- phy after Walaszczyk (1992). Kin (2007) described 26 large ammonites (di- 3. Geological setting ameter > 50 cm) assigned to Lewesiceras per- amplum and L. mantelli (Opole Trough, Mid- The Stara Bystrzyca quarry is situated in dle Turonian). This author suggested that all the Nysa Kłodzka Graben (Fig. 1), which is ammonites found by him might belong to one one of the youngest tectonics units in the Su- species, because the differences in morphology detes (Don & Gotowała, 2008). The graben could be caused by different environmental started developing during the Turonian/Co- conditions, for example the presence of preda- niacian (Pachucki, 1959; Don & Don, 1960; Ko- tors (see also Trussell & Smith, 2000). The col- muda & Don, 1964; Jerzykiewicz, 1970, 1971; lection of the Society of Friends of the Earth Radwański, 1975; Don, 1996; Wojewoda, 1997; Sciences “Phacops“ contains specimens of Don & Wojewoda, 2004, 2005; Kędzierski, Lewesiceras peramplum (diameters 73 cm, 50 cm) 2005) and it is filled with clastic deposits of from the Middle Turonian of the NE Mesozoic Cenomanian–Santonian age, that overlay met- margin of the �oly Cross Mountains (www. amorphic rocks of the Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome dinozaury.mania.pl/wp/materialy/nau-bio. (Żelaźniewicz & Aleksandrowski, 2008) (Fig. pdf). Kin & Niedźwiedzki (2012) reported 2). The thickness of the Cretaceous succession, some large to gigantic ammonites, including which consists of marls, siliceous-clayey mud- Lewesiceras peramplum (diameter 60 cm) and L. stones and limestones separated by the Middle ex. gr. peramplum (diameter 114 cm), from the and Late Turonian Quader Sandstone – (Fig. 2 uppermost Middle and lower Upper Turonian A), exceeds 1200 m in the Nysa Kłodzka Gra- of the Opole Trough. Uličný et al. (1997) found ben (Wojewoda, 1997). Lewesiceras sp. (diameter 70 cm) in the Upper Fistek & Gierwielaniec (1964), Radwański Turonian of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (1966) and Wroński & Cwojdziński (1984) re- (Czech Republic). ported the presence of two units of marls in the Middle Turonian: the first unit is 10 m thick and the second 50 m. The thickness of the in- Palaeontology of the Middle Turonian limestones of the Nysa Kłodzka Graben... 87 tercalated Quader Sandstone (Bystrzyca and Długopole Sandstone) in the vicinity of Stara Bystrzyca ranges from 45 to 60 m (Don & Don, 1960; Komuda & Don, 1964; Radwański, 1965, 1975; Wroński & Cwojdziński, 1984). The youngest deposits in the Nysa Kłodzka Graben (sandstones and conglomerates of the Upper Idzików Member) are currently consid- ered as being of Coniacian and Santonian